The National Consensus Commission (NCC) plans to propose that the interim government pursue a special order through a referendum, mandating the next parliament to take on an additional role in implementing the July Charter.
“We expect to submit the July National Charter Implementation Order 2025 proposal to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday afternoon. After that, it will be shared with the political parties,” NCC Vice Chairman Ali Riaz told TIMES of Bangladesh.
According to the proposed order, if approved by the people, the parliament will also perform the role of the Constitutional Reform Council, which will have nine months to amend, revise, and reform the Constitution in line with the July Charter.
“If the new parliament fails to execute the reform proposals, the July Charter will automatically be included in the Constitution,” said a member of the NCC on condition of anonymity.
The commission has finalised its framework, which stipulates that the referendum will be held on this order itself, not on the July Charter.
The July Charter Implementation (Constitutional Reform) Order will come into effect immediately after the referendum.
Sources said the commission may attach an alternative proposal to the order. Under that option, the government would be asked to draft a referendum bill encompassing all Constitution-related proposals from the Charter.
If the referendum wins people’s support, the commission will also recommend that Proportional Representation (PR) for the upper house be introduced in the upcoming parliament.
According to sources, the commission believes that granting the next parliament constituent power would eliminate the need for a two-thirds majority for constitutional amendments. Amendments could instead be passed by a simple majority. The regular Speaker of Parliament would preside over the Constitutional Reform Council, as will be stated in the constitutional order.
Among the 84 reforms in the July Charter, the BNP has issued a note of dissent on nine key reforms, including the establishment of an upper house through the PR system. The party has stated it will not implement those reforms if it comes to power. Jamaat-e-Islami, the NCP, and Islami Andolan have demanded that a referendum be held on the entire Charter and that, if approved, it must be implemented in full.
Commission sources said that, under the current proposal, the issues on which political parties have submitted a note of dissent will not be included in the referendum. Any reform subject to dissent will effectively not proceed. The referendum will consist of a single question: “Do you support the order and the proposed reforms?” Citizens will vote “Yes” or “No” to express their opinion.
When asked about the referendum, commission sources said that the government will decide the date and time — the Commission will not make any recommendations on that matter.
Notably, while the BNP wants the referendum to be held on the same day as the upcoming national election, Jamaat and the NCP want it to be held earlier. Jamaat has been demanding that the referendum take place in November.
On Sunday morning, the commission held an internal meeting, followed by a virtual consultation session with legal and constitutional experts in the afternoon.
Experts who joined the session virtually included retired Appellate Division Justice MA Matin, Dr Sharif Bhuiyan, Senior Advocate of the Bangladesh Supreme Court, and Barrister Tanim Hossain Shawon.
Representing the commission were Ali Riaz, Badiul Alam Majumdar, Justice Md Emdadul Haque, Iftekharuzzaman, Safar Raj Hossain, and Mohammad Ayyub Miah. Also present was Monir Haidar, Special Assistant to the chief adviser, who is involved in the national consensus process.
